Since I first met Laura aka acesonued (pronounced: ah-key-so-noo-eed) at Zday 2015 in Brisbane, she has really embraced her own style. And that style has become more and more Solarpunk whenever I had the pleasure of checking it out. Or the other way around, acesonued is defining the Solarpunk style more and more – after all the Solarpunk style is still being birthed by artists just like her.

acesonued’s visual art is an expressive scifi-manga-co(s)mic-psychedelic-solarpunk fusion which I would call Dali-esque at times (not that I have many visual artsy credentials but I know Dali-dream style when I lay eyes on it!) – colourful, explosive, thoughtful, multi-faceted – in short, beautiful.

If that wasn’t Solarpunk enough yet, acesonued is also a musician. She plays guitar and piano, writes her own music and portrays it in her angelic voice – acting as much-needed and appreciated support in the healing of our Great Mother Earth and our own kind.

I greatly admire acesonued’s dedication to her creative expression, her art and style. She really lives on a different plane than most, sees the world with different eyes, and through her visions and creations shapes the world around her for the better – baby step by baby step.

Just like most of us Solarpunks do!

acesonued is showcasing her work and playing some tunes this coming weekend at her cave in Annerley, Brisbane, so come on over, say hi – and maybe even support her by buying a print that calls out to your heart’s desire…

I immensely enjoyed their About page, so I’ll just go ahead an quote a couple of t why the name OBSOLETE!?

In post-post-post-modern society even the term “obsolete” is becoming obsolete- products are obsolete before they hit the market-place, technology is only good as long as its replacement is in beta-testing.

And this beautiful explanation of why a zine in print form was created in the information age of digital everything, where knowledge does not equal wisdom and cultural rigidity is indeed more ripe than we like to admit.

In the early part of the 20th century, Harold Innis, a Canadian media theorist and predecessor of Marshall McCluhan, postulated that great civilizations were those that balanced “time-binding” media (which retain ideas and history), and “space-binding” media (which allows ideas to travel rapidly). He felt, back in the 50’s, that western society was relying too much on space-binding media like radio and television, and that the over-exposure was leading to a culture where “…The emphasis on change is the only permanent characteristic.” He felt that this trend would kill shared experience and local identity and create and atmosphere of paranoia and rigid political militarization. No one knows what Innis would have thought of the internet, but despite all of the great gifts of modern technology, some of Innis’ warnings seem to be coming true. Despite the gushing flow of “free” information, cultural rigidity appears to be setting in.

And lastly, spoken by true Solarpunks:

The books we publish reflect our love for the physical world and the DIY aesthetic.

I’ll add here that digital versions are also available as the good OBSOLETE! peops recognises the digital media!

There is plenty of art out there that could be “classified” as Solarpunk, but the genre is still so underground that not many identify with it (yet).

So I will introduce some artists who I would love to label as Solarpunks, even though labels don’t usually sit well with me…more on that in future posts. In the context of Solarpunk though, I am more than happy to label and be labelled, and hopefully so will these wonderfully inspiring individuals that currently form the centre of my artivism focus!

Making art and fashion – pardon me, I meant of course – trashion out of “junk” collected on beaches is how Marina DeBris encourages us to re-think, re-use and re-cycle stuff.

What an excellent, Solarpunky way to question how we use stuff and what happens to it when we are done with it.

One of the things Solarpunks like to do in their spare time is finding ways to enrich their own lives and those of others’. Doesn’t sound punk enough? Well, rethinking (and then actioning) where we gather to make any kind of art plays a role in system change, just like any other action does when we remind ourselves that we are making history everyday.

Solarpunks keep interaction with the dominant system to a minimum, bend rules and leave impressions to challenge the status quo.

This friendly bunch of Brisbane Solarpunks likes to sing and jam together, and a few weeks ago they set out to explore interesting public places in terms of their acoustics.

The stormwater drain near the highway boasted street art, mad acoustics, and friendly dogs being taken for walks. It also proved suitable for a celebratory glass of champagne.

The stone stairwell at one of our big universities enthralled…angelic echoes and heavenly vibrations…where time stops being and being takes over, without thought but with voice, hum hum hummmmmm … trying out new tunes without feeling self conscious as they are meant to be there… notes with neither beginning nor end, where it’s obvious that sound was there first…

There is plenty of art out there that could be “classified” as Solarpunk, but the genre is still so underground that not many identify with it (yet).

So I will introduce some artists who I would love to label as Solarpunks, even though labels don’t usually sit well with me…more on that in future posts. In the context of Solarpunk though, I am more than happy to label and be labelled, and hopefully so will these wonderfully inspiring individuals that presently form the centre of my artivism focus!

There is plenty of art out there that could be “classified” as Solarpunk, but the genre is still so underground that not many identify with it (yet).

So I will introduce some artists who I would love to label as Solarpunks, even though labels don’t usually sit well with me…more on that in future posts. In the context of Solarpunk though, I am more than happy to label and be labelled, and hopefully so will these wonderfully inspiring individuals that presently form the centre of my artivism focus!

Molly Crabapple is not just an amazing visual artist, but also a gutsy journalist, activist and excellent writer. Strength of character, honesty and a healthy sense of humour make her stand out from the pack. Her memoir is a page turner with many meaningful quotes and gorgeous illustrations. Her art is unique, at once beautiful, disturbing, and insightful. She is the example for artivism (activism+art); reviews calling her “a brilliant and principled artist – can’t get much more Solarpunk than that!

There is plenty of art out there that could be “classified” as Solarpunk, but the genre is still so underground that not many identify with it (yet).

So I will introduce some artists who I would love to label as Solarpunks, even though labels don’t usually sit well with me…more on that in future posts. In the context of Solarpunk though, I am more than happy to label and be labelled, and hopefully so will these wonderfully inspiring individuals that form the centre of my artivism focus!

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